Vienna [antikvár]

TIIK Pl LL OKTIIL l\KLl CTIBLK I iiii^^lit as well chIiuíI il sli'ai^lilawav: llioso lines ai'c llic admission of a lile lorii^ lo\(' alVair. Tlic ohjoel oC ihis l()\e is llic cilv ol" iiiv Uirlli: a lon^^-suircrin^- hcaiilN. whose \ilalil\ |)ulses and Ilows like llie walers ol" llie ífreat river ihat !ra\erses il. W hal is Meiina;' \\ hal niakes \ ienna special;' \nl how ean ihís "speeialness" l)e made more lan:^ihle? ieiina is like a poekel kniCe". were ihe words ol" I leimül Qnallinger whose alliliide lo ihe cilv mixed love and pain in equal measure: ollen enough, jus! real pain. Bui il gels even worse: ienna is like a pockel knife undei- a heaven full of hangovers". A cilv lhal ihrobs. which is more olten (han nol conslrieled In thai wonderrullv heauti-I'ul hul ralhei* narrow coi'sel known as Aiislria. so lhal ihe iirmameiU is indeed lull ol'headache. And w hat il" ihese are jusl imagined pains? W hat would lhal change for us. the \ iennese? II takes subtle psvchological analysis lo unraxel the conflicting forces al work in this cily. It is no coincidence lhal the city is situated on the middle stretch of llie Danube, a I'iver lhal Mows thi-ougb much of the continent, {""or huiKhvds of years lra\ellers from many parts of Kurope reached lhe\ ienna Basin by following the rivei' or one of the ancient li'ade routes lhal crossed il. Onlv to settle tlier-c in the mild Pannonian cli- I'ilie page: the \Hew from the roofofllie ParliamenI building ivith the Leopolcline 11 utg of the Hojburg in the background, pp. 1 (1- .5.- one of the rooftop quadrigae of the Parliament building with its II inged I ictory in the foreground and the City Hall (left) ami I o//Vi' Church in the background, pp. 6/7: the Lipizzaner hor-.se.s avV// their maiws braidedfor a gala petformance. pp. 8/9; Schubert'.'; birthplace in Niissdorferstrasse; hi.s reading spect(u-les are !!reser^'ed in a glass showcase, pp. 10/11: ''Swan J^ake" at the Opera, the cast take thefinal bow. pp. !2/13:1 iew from the vaults into the nave of St. Stephen's Cathedral, pp. !4/15: the Imperial Treasury in the Hofburg; the showcase contains the crown of RudolfII. (the Austrian Imperial Crown) a/ul the imperial Orb and Sceptre, Friedrich Ametling's port rait of Emperor Frcuiz I hangs on the wall. pp. 16/J7: the Giant !•'erris 11 'heel illuminated at night, pp. 18/19: Viemm's modern skyline across the Danube is dominated by the Andromeda Tower and tiie]'lenna International Centre (''UNO City''). Opposite: guests at the Opera Ball refreshing themselves between dances. Above: Vienna's silhouette as a backdrop to the Opera Ball. 21